Assistant Professor of Music

In his primary role as Co-Director of Choral Studies with Phillip Swan, Steve Sieck co-directs the advanced choirs Cantala and Concert Choir, both of which performed at the 2014 ACDA-North Central convention; he also directs the Viking Chorale, which performed at the 2015 WCDA convention. In the classroom, Steve teaches Conducting, Freshman Studies, and English Diction. He previously served as the Director of Choral/Vocal Music at Emory & Henry College in Virginia, where he taught from 2005-2010. A native of Oak Park, IL, Steve received his B.A. in Music from the University of Chicago, and then sang professionally and taught 7th-12th grade music in Los Angeles. He received his M.M. and D.M.A. degrees in Choral Conducting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he had the pleasure to serve as sabbatical director for the Women’s Glee Club and Graduate Chamber Singers, and won the Schlanger Fellowship and Outstanding Graduate Conducting Student awards. While at UIUC, Steve also sang the lead tenor roles in productions of The Fairy Queen, Don Giovanni, and Candide, for which he won the Best Male Performance of the Year award.

Steve’s present research focuses primarily on how we develop effective teaching strategies from a vocalist’s perspective. His research on diction pedagogy includes an October 2013 article on how ACDA-invited high school choirs learn foreign languages, a study on distinct methods for teaching Latin, and presentations on diction pedagogy at multiple NAfME state conferences, as well as ACDA presentations for the Southern (2010) and North-Central (2014) regions. Steve also loves talking about tenors and the various ways we can help or harm their developing voices, and has presented that at the ACDA National Convention (2015) and in multiple state conventions as well. Steve also has published scholarly articles on Britten, Copland, and di Lasso.

Steve served the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association as Treasurer from 2012-2015, and begins his tenure as President-Elect in 2015. At Lawrence Steve serves as ACDA Student chapter advisor and National Association for Music Education collegiate chapter advisor. He also serves as Director of Music at the First Presbyterian Church of Neenah, WI.

Steve recently discovered long-distance running and has completed several marathons and half-Ironman triathlons. He freely admits to using way too many running metaphors in rehearsal, and has recently published in the online ChorTeach pedagogical journal his research study on choir directors’ wellness habits.